The Brownsville Herald - Officials Applaud Obama's Trip to Mexico

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The Brownsville Herald - Officials Applaud Obama's Trip to Mexico

By: Laura B. Martinez

President Barack Obama's trip to Mexico is a move in the right direction to help curtail border violence, but Americans need to amend their habits before change is actually seen, U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, said Thursday.

Ortiz said Americans need to be educated on how their drug usage and addictions are helping fund the drug cartels, which authorities said are responsible for the rise in border violence.

"For every penny we spend on drugs that is dollars we put into the (pockets) of the drug cartels," Ortiz said in a telephone interview with The Brownsville Herald.

Ortiz said congressional members were elated with Obama's visit Thursday with President Felipe Calderon in Mexico, where the two addressed border issues such as violence and immigration.

The congressman hopes the visit would strengthen relations that were weakened between the two countries under past U.S. leadership.

"This is good because they are our neighbors and he (Obama) is going to and try to repair some of the damage done by past administrations," Ortiz said.

In his first visit to Mexico, Obama pledged to help stop the flow of U.S. weapons into the country south of the border. Drug cartels often use weapons smuggled from the U.S. into Mexico.

"At a time when the Mexican government has so courageously taken on the drug cartels that have plagued both sides of the border," Obama said, the U.S. must join "in dealing with the flow of guns and cash south."

Calderon's strong stand against drug cartels has won him the aid of the United States, and the prominent political backing of Obama, the Associated Press reported.

However, the Mexican president's aggressiveness against the drug cartels has led to death threats against Calderon, Ortiz emphasized.

Congress has already allocated funding for six Black Hawk helicopters to aid Mexico in its drug war, Ortiz said. "Anything that hurts Mexico hurts us," the congressman said.

Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster, chairman of the Texas Border Coalition, said Obama's visit provides the opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the two countries.

"The U.S. and Mexico share a common border, a common history and common economic interests. Since NAFTA was implemented, U.S. trade with Mexico has risen more than 300 percent - making Mexico our second largest trading partner behind Canada," Foster said in a prepared statement.

"At the same time, the U.S. and Mexico share common problems. The global financial crisis, illegal immigration and the threat of drug-related violence have increased tensions between our two countries.

"Whether it's trade, immigration or border security, both nations face issues of great consequence, and we can only resolve them by speaking candidly and in the spirit of friendship."

Obama has dispatched hundreds of federal agents, along with high-tech surveillance gear and drug-sniffing dogs, to the border to help Mexico fight drug cartels. He sent Congress a war-spending request that made room for $350 million for security along the U.S.-Mexico border, the AP reported.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, also said he was pleased that Obama had made the trip to Mexico to experience the problems confronting the border. Earlier this year, Cornyn sent letters to Obama and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to visit border areas where violence escalated.

"I applaud President Obama for taking the time to travel to Mexico to see these problems firsthand," Cornyn said in a written statement. "His personal attention to the issue of narco-terrorism is a positive step, and I look forward to working with him to ensure the drug-related violence does not spread further into cities in Texas and elsewhere in the U.S."

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